Despite being emotionally intense and morally vacuous, there is still a soft-focus lens in this recounting of events in the spring of Lulu’s senior year. In a small Kentucky town, Lulu and Ginny are best friends and regularly make the run via Dead Man’s curve to nearby Huntsville to illegally buy the booze that along with their stash gets them through their days. Lulu’s mother died when she was young and so did Ginny’s brother, creating a bond between them despite their vastly different looks and preferences for poison. Ginny drinks while Lulu prefers smoking, but the petite, dark looks of Lulu and the tall, blonde gorgeousness of Ginny both spell trouble. Lulu’s constant use of the camera to capture pieces of her life balances with her otherwise almost total lack of control. Life is made more complicated as Ginny’s flair for melodrama involves her with a nearby college boy as well as the high-school football star. When brother Danny’s old pal Jay resurfaces to rejoin his band, Lulu is drawn to Jay—his music, motorcycle, and memories of the past. Wanting to show she is no longer a child, leads Lulu into a sexual relationship with Jay. A spot of blood appears but little pain in this poetically romantic portrayal of the loss of virginity. Drink, drugs, and sex seem to be taken for granted throughout. Being “careful” is referred to afterwards, but is not shown. A bland, loving grandmother and stock characters from high school are background for the hot and heavy romance that serves as the main thread. Astute readers will expect consequences, but surprisingly, it is Ginny’s fate with its impact on Lulu that’s at the center of the plot. Henson has a way with thoughts and dialogue that rings true, conveying that longing for experience and adulthood that is so effectively portrayed here. With all the bad behavior, it’s clear these are innocents at play. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-029796-4
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2002
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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